


Five Years Ago: Coruscant

by aeternalegacy



Series: Interim [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Backstory, Coruscant, Gen, Knights of the Fallen Empire, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 08:55:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11181330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeternalegacy/pseuds/aeternalegacy
Summary: For months after the disaster on Ziost, all former SIS Agent Theron Shan wanted was to get his job back.  The opportunity comes when Corsucant is attacked by the Eternal Empire but as he nears Senate Tower, a call from a former ally may change all that.





	Five Years Ago: Coruscant

Getting back to work had been Theron Shan’s primary objective after being forcibly placed on administrative leave. After the disaster on Ziost, it was a minor miracle that he was only placed on “indefinite” leave rather than being fired out right. He knew it was only a matter of time before he returned to his position in the SIS. Although in his more fatalistic moments, he counted on being out of it for quite awhile. 

Not that being out of a job stopped Theron from working, of course. It took less than a day of abject boredom to remember that he was physically and mentally incapable of relaxing. So he found ways to keep his skills sharp, contacts fresh, and a decent amount of untraceable credits stored in low places should he need them.

As luck would have it, indefinite leave came to an abrupt halt just a few months later. It being Theron’s luck, however, it literally took the galaxy falling apart for the SIS to give him his job back. The Core Worlds were under attack, supposed retaliation for an “Outlander” assassinating their “Immortal Emperor”. It sounded so strange that for a second Theron wondered if there was a Basic translator malfunction somewhere. But the destruction being rained down by this so-called “Eternal Empire” was no mistake and he found himself answering the frantic call for all hands to get to headquarters, if possible.

The first part of his commute back to Senate Tower was eerily clear. Much of Coruscant entered a kind of unofficial lockdown when the bombardment began, with most hiding in whatever safety their homes offered them. The closer he got to the Commercial District, however, the heavier the fighting became. By the time he got to the Coruscant Spaceport, the area was thick with Republic military and Jedi fighting against what seemed to be endless swarms of droids. 

Theron abandoned his swoop just before Senate Plaza to go the rest of the way on foot. Senate Tower was in sight but from his vantage, it was going to be a hell of a run in. He had been relieved of most of his SIS issued equipment during his leave. Luckily, he always had his own blasters plus a few other tricks up his sleeve. 

He knew he should be scared but who was he kidding? This was his idea of fun.

Theron had just about narrowed down the best path to take when the distinctive beep of his secure private comm sounded in his ear. 

“Theron.”

A call from the Minister of Sith Intelligence when he was practically on the doorstep of the Senate Tower on his way to get his job back was inconvenient to say the least.

For a moment, he wondered how the hell Lana had found this comm frequency. Then he reminded himself that he knew better than most what she was capable of and had only himself to blame for getting her started with slicing in the first place. Knowing her, she probably had the frequency tapped as soon as she found it with detailed logs and analysis in some dark corner of Sith Intelligence. 

Oh well. Theron knew Lana well enough to trust she would keep the call encrypted. The last thing he needed was a reprimand on his work record before he even signed the papers with personnel. But first, he needed to get through the death trap that was Senate Plaza.

“You have the galaxy’s LOUSIEST timing, you know that?” Theron grumbled.

“I need to talk to you.” Her tone booked no room for banter.

“So talk,” he told her, gritting his teeth in frustration as he realized this momentary distraction had cost him the opening he had seen.

“Temprien was aboard Darth Marr’s flagship.”

Suddenly, Theron found himself thinking about a whole other missed opportunity. SIS intelligence reports had confirmed that Marr’s ship had gone down in an ambush on the edges of Wild Space. Not that he had the authorization to view those reports in the first place but that was a negligible detail. 

“Sith Intelligence confirmed that?” he asked, doing his best to ignore the sudden tightness in his throat.

Temprien Aeterna was the Battlemaster of the Jedi Order and his… well, hell if he knew. The last time he saw her was on the fleet, just after he had gotten word of his suspension due to what happened on Ziost. Temprien had offered him a place on her ship. He had turned her down and she had not questioned his decision.

In the weeks that followed he considered contacting her. He even got so far as keying in half of her private holofrequency before deciding against it. Theron knew his place in the galaxy and it was NOT on a Jedi ship. Even if that ship was helmed by someone he had grown to care a lot about. 

Okay, fine. Especially because of that. 

Despite how close he and Temprien had become during their time on Rishi and Yavin, the conversation of what they were to each other never came up. Being the literal poster boy of what happens when Jedi get attached, Theron knew better than to ask. He told himself he was happy with whatever time they had together. It seemed to him that she felt similarly. Not to mention he sucked at relationships anyway so it was all for the best.

So why did he feel like he was drowning right now?

“The Empire does not know any more than what I have shared with the SIS in this state of emergency as an official form of co-operation.” Somehow Theron doubted that the Empire had such protocol before Lana. Despite everything, he had to admire her devotion to pragmatism.

“Did you just call to tell me you think Temprien was aboard that ship and that you can’t prove it?” 

“We have no official evidence to the contrary.”

“Dammit Lana, then why the -”

“Because even though I have no proof, I have reason to believe she is alive.” Lana’s hurried words were a balm to his rapidly deteriorating temper. “I know you care for each other and that you would want to know this.”

Theron felt his cheeks grow hot. Lana had reached out to him as a friend, despite everything that they had been through. “What do you need from me?” he asked, coughing to disguise the breaking in his voice.

“Your help but not right at this moment. I need to know I can count on you when it comes to it.”

“You know you can.”

“Good. May the Force serve you well.”

Damn that lump in his throat anyhow. Swallowing past it, it was all he could do to reply, “May the Force be with you, Lana. And… thanks.”


End file.
